170 Soldiers Added To List Of Israel’s Fallen Since Last Memorial Day
A total of 170 soldiers have been killed during their military service since Israel’s last Memorial Day, according to figures released by the Defense Ministry on Thursday (16th).
Another 54 veterans died due to complications from injuries sustained during their service.
The numbers brought the total to 25,644 people who have died during service to the country since 1860, when Jews left the Jerusalem Old City walls to establish new neighborhoods in the Holy Land.
The annual figures include all soldiers, police and members of other security services who died in the past year, whether in the line of duty,or as a result of an accident, illness or suicide.
There was no fresh tally of terror victims, who are also commemorated on Memorial Day.
The Defense Ministry added that there are currently 59,583 bereaved family members in Israel, including Parents, widows, children and siblings of the fallen, with 7,165 relatives added since Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack
Israel’s Memorial Day will commence on Monday evening (20th) when a one-minute siren will blare across the country. On Tuesday morning (21st), a two minute siren will sound ahead of national memorial ceremonies at Israel’s 52 military cemeteries.
Memorial Day is one of Israel’s few national, non-religious holidays,during which large swaths of the Israeli public typically visit the graves of loved ones and comrades.
This year, Memorial Day ceremonies at Israel’s military cemeteries will be held in accordance with Home Front Command wartime instructions due to ongoing security concerns the Defense Ministry said, and some may be prerecorded if in-person events are banned.
The guidelines are expected to be finalized shortly before the day itself.
“We are completing preparations for Memorial Day for Israel’s fallen and preparing to commemorate the fallen and hold events in accordance with Home Front Command and guidelines, out of a desire to strike the right balance between the sanctity of Memorial Day and the sanctity of life,” head of the department for the families of fallen soldiers, commemoration and heritage, Aryeh Moalem said in a statement.
“The memory of the fallen is a foundation of our unity,” he added. “Behind every name stand families and great pain, but also strength that continues to pulse through and connect us all.”
According to the Defense Ministry, preparations are underway at all military cemeteries, at the Bedouin Soldier Memorial Site and at hundreds of burial plots across the country.
Israel’s Memorial Day will end on Tuesday evening (21st).
Key Clauses Of Lebanon Ceasefire Agreement
The US State Department published, Thursday evening (16th), the official text of the understandings reached through the mediation of the administration of Donald Trump between the Government of Israel and the Government of Lebanon.
The document, described as a dramatic breakthrough, defines for the first time in decades that the two countries are not in a state of war and are committed to pursuing a sustainable peace.
The ceasefire took effect Thursday evening (16th) at midnight (Israel time) for an initial period of 10-days. During this time, the parties will hold direct negotiations in Washington with the aim of reaching a permanent agreement. The period may be extended by mutual consent if progress is made in the talks.
One of the most significant clauses states that Israel and Lebanon recognize that non-state armed groups – namely Hazbollah–undermine sovereignty. It was agreed that the only forces permitted to bear arms in Lebanon will be the country’s official security forces: the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), Internal Security Forces, Directorate of General Security, General Directorate of State Security, Lebanese Customs and Municipal Police.
The agreement explicitly states that Israel retains the right to take all necessary measures for self-defense against planned or ongoing attacks, regardless of the ceasefire. In return, Israel committed not to carry out offensive actions against Lebanese state targets at sea, in the air, or the land.
In a historic clause, Israel and Lebanon declare that “the two states are not at war” and commit to conducting direct, good-faith negotiations to resolve all remaining disputes, including the demarcation of the international land border.
The Lebanese government commits to taking significant steps to prevent Hezbollah and other armed groups from carrying out any hostile actions against Israeli targets. All partners recognize that Lebanon is solely responsible for its sovereignty, and that no other state or group has the right to claim authority over it.
The US statement emphasized that the United States will lead the international effort to support Lebanon and help stabilize the region.
US Intends To Lead Hezbollah Disarmament Senior Israeli Official Tells Post – Exclusive
A senior Israeli official told The Jerusalem Post that, unlike in the past, the United States now intends to actively lead efforts to disarm Hezbollah and is prepared to use American resources to achieve this goal. “Trump wants this to happen, so this time the US will be far more involved,” the official said.
The official added that the current ceasefire terms are significantly better than those in November 2024, describing the situation as “much improved,” mainly because Hezbollah has suffered a substantial blow this time, including significant casualties, and because Israeli forces are present on the ground.
“Forces are deployed from Naqoura to Syria and will not withdraw. In addition, Iran is in a much weaker position in terms of its ability to support the organization’s recovery.”
The forces will also be able to continue demolishing structures as required for security needs, as has been the case so far.
Furthermore, hundreds of thousands of displaced residents who have fled southern Lebanon remain unable to return to their homes, increasing pressure on the Lebanese government to move forward in negotiations.
The official emphasized that Israel will continue to act against any threat to civilians and soldiers, adding, “This is currently a 10-day ceasefire. For it to continue, the burden of proof lies with Lebanon and Hezbollah.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also emphasized Israel’s continued maintenance of security earlier in the day, saying that Israel will maintain a security buffer, stretching 10 kilometers into southern Lebanon, for the duration of the ceasefire in order to deter any threat.
“We have changed the balance of security,” Netanyahu said.
Israel’s Security Zone In Lebanon – Shirit Avitan Cohen
Israel Defense Minister Israel Katz outlined the IDF operation in Lebanon as including “the destruction of homes in the contact-line villages, the defensive positions line inside Lebanon, which was expanded from five to 15 points, the anti-tank line whose seizure was completed through the ground maneuver and is now being expanded at additional points, and the Litani line, where the IDF will maintain control.”
For residents in northern Israel, this is a security necessity rooted in the understanding that the ISD must separate civilians from their enemies. BG (res.) Effi Eitam, who commanded forces in the previous security zone in Lebanon which existed in 1985-2000, said, “Israel had an efficient, effective security zone for many years. It was not a Lebanese mire. It was exactly what a country needs to do to protect its line of civilian communities.”
“Since we fled from there and announced that the war was over, we have been inside Lebanon twice. During the years of supposed quiet, Hezbollah was built up into a monstrous military force… To protect Metula, Misgav Am, Rosh Hanikra and Avivim, we need to be inside Lebanon up to the Litani line in order to prevent what Hezbollah’s Radwan Force planned.”
Meir Ben Shabbat, head of the Misgav Institute for National Security and Zionist Strategy, who served as head of Israel’s National Security Council, said, “Before the withdrawal from Lebanon [in 2000] the public discourse focused on the price of our presence there. Today, the public understands what people spoke less about back then: the price of our absence.”
Control of a security zone is by no means a recipe for a static presence, nor is it a stand-alone component. Alongside it there must be sustained offensive interdiction activity that does not allow the enemy to entrench itself and forces it to direct its efforts toward survival rather than attacking us.”
Israel’s Withdrawal FromSouth Lebanon Should Be Tied To Hezbollah’s Complete Disarmament – Dr. Yossi Mansharof
The reality in Beirut is clear: despite efforts at revival, the Lebanese state remains a hollow entity. The Lebanese army lacks the ability and the will to enforce government decisions regarding the disarmament of Hezbollah. Accordingly, any diplomatic agreement signed with Lebanon, without physical guarantees on the ground, will not be worth the paper it is written on. Israel cannot entrust the security of its residents to a phantom sovereign that does not control its own backyard.
Faced with this governing vacuum, in which Iran and Hezbollah remain the true sovereign in Lebanon, Israel must shift from a strategy of active defense to one of creating a new reality. The key lies in establishing a sterile zone south of the Litani River to neutralize the direct-fire antitank threat that has become Hezbollah’s main strategic tool for disrupting daily life in northern Israel. Neutralizing that threat requires physical Israeli control of the area and controlling the high ground that topographically overlooks the Galilee communities in Israel.
Israel’s withdrawal from the sterile zone should be tied to one result alone: Hezbollah’s complete disarmament. Jerusalem must reject pressure for a quick ceasefire in Lebanon and firmly refuse any dictate linking the northern campaign to a deal with Tehran. Halting the fighting prematurely, while leaving Hezbollah standing on the fences, would amount to a strategic victory for the axis of evil and lay the groundwork for a far more violent and deadly next round.
The writer is a lecturer in the School of Political Science at the University of Haifa, and a senior researcher at the Misgav Institute for National Security and Zionist Strategy.
EU Parliament President Denounces ‘Poison’ Of Antisemitism
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola on Wednesday (15th) called antisemitism “a poison that must be rooted out,” warning that Jewish life in Europe cannot remain dependent on fear, security barriers and armed protection.
Metsola spoke at a conference in Brussels focused on rising antisemitism across the continent.
“Antisemitism is poison, and like any poison, it cannot be tolerated – it must be rooted out,” Metsola said. Europe must be a place where Jewish people can live openly, safely, and without fear. Where wearing a kippah is not a risk, where children can go to school without armed guards, and where Jewish life can flourish again in every corner of our continent.”
The remarks came as European institutions continue to grapple with a rise in anti-Jewish hostility since the Hamas invasion of October 7, 2023.
A European Commission summary published in January said 47% of Europeans believe antisemitism has increased in their country over the last five years, while 69% said Middle East conflicts influence perceptions of Jews in their country.
Metsola has made similar appeals in recent weeks.
In March, after an attack on a synagogue in Liege, she said Europe “must be a place where Jewish people can live openly, freely and without fear,” adding that “Jewish life belongs in Europe.” The European Parliament later said it would continue “calling out antisemitism, and acting against it.”
The European Commission also has kept in place its 2021-2031 strategy on combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life, and held follow-up working group meetings with member states and Jewish community representatives as part of that effort.
Rabbi Menachem Margolin, chairman of the European Jewish Association, said the problem has moved beyond isolated incidents.
“We are witnessing not just a rise in antisemitism but the collapse of the sense of security for Jews across Europe,” he said, adding that “when Jewish identity must be hidden and institutions require armed guards, this is not a Jewish problem, this is a European failure.”
The speech also landed amid fresh concern over the scale of anti-Jewish violence worldwide.
An April 2026 study reported by the AP found that 2025 saw the highest number of deaths from antisemitic attacks in more than 30 years.
